


Crimson & Azure

by Zeible



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series)
Genre: F/F, Gen, Not Enough Pokemon Femslash Dammit, Not Sure Quite Who Else to Tag, OC/Canon Character Femslash, On Hiatus, Trans Female Character, transgender character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-27
Updated: 2015-10-28
Packaged: 2018-04-28 13:05:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5091827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeible/pseuds/Zeible
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A young runaway from Unova ends up in the Kanto region, and, through improbable events, takes on the Indigo League alongside a villainous team new to the Kanto region. But her challenge has a mysterious benefactor, with a goal all her own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Bargain

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is the first Fan Fic I've actually posted in years (The last one was also Pokemon, but not quite as...mature, as this, I don't think), and truth be told I'm a bit nervous about putting my work where others can see and comment on it. Ah well. Also, not sure how many chapters this will take.

Chapter 1  
Jaden opened her eyes, and looked out the window of the cramped hold. That had to be it- Cinnabar Island, at last. After a week of hiding from the crew in darkness with no company beyond her stolen Pokédex, they had finally reached land.  
Her excitement quickly gave way to contemplation- what now, she thought? She spoke passable Kantonese, but would it be enough to allay suspicions of her being illegal. The thought made her grimace, recalling the many times her parents had complained about illegal immigrants from the Orre region coming into Unova. Now their daughter was an illegal immigrant herself- well, she wasn’t sure they’d consider her their daughter, but their child at least.

The ship docked, and Jaden saw that it was still evening- it was a smuggler ship, as she’d expected. The cargo hold opened up, and men in black jumpsuits started emptying the rather heavy looking cargo- what it was, Jaden could only guess at, but it had to be expensive.

Thinking quickly, she slipped around the distracted men, and scurried off the gangplank, making for an alley nearby before they could react to the noise her running had made and follow her.  
Jaden slumped down in the alleyway, and tried to rest for a moment- it was broken by a bright light, and the sound of barking Growlithes. She looked and saw the local police had discovered the smugglers, and had engaged them in battle; the goons with their Zubats and Grimers, the police with their Growlithes and Poochyenas. 

She let out a sigh of relief, thinking that the police would overlook her, as she had put a fair distance between herself and the ship. That was a mistake. 

“Hey, you!” A voice yelled out. Jaden couldn’t make out his features well, but he appeared to be a middle-aged man, with an accent not of this region, but still unfamiliar to Jaden. He had a Ninetales at his side- a powerful, old looking fox that was glaring right at her.  
“I said, hey you!” He yelled out again, this time more aggressively. “Come over here, I’ve got some questions for you!” He was reaching for a pair of handcuffs, and Jaden had a suspicion she knew what that would entail, so she booked it.

As she ran, she heard the man continue to cry out in vain, but also the sound of his Ninetales approaching, and very quickly at that. She looked around the island for a place to hide- it was an odd-looking city, full of very modern looking buildings that showed very little sign of wear, built onto platforms hewn into the rock of the volcano. 

“Follow me…” A voice said, almost as though it was in Jaden’s own head, speaking her native language instead of that of the locals. She looked around, but couldn’t see the source. She could also no longer hear the Ninetales behind her.

“Follow me…” she heard again, and this time she could tell where it was coming from- an odd, run down looking mansion that seemed to be surrounded by cooled lava, yet unharmed by it. Strange as it was, it didn’t seem occupied, so Jaden gave it a go.

The Ninetales was still pursuing her, but it seemed to be slowed by something Jaden couldn’t see, and she managed to reach the door of the mansion in time. When she stepped inside, the door slammed shut behind her and locked.   
“Very dramatic…”Jaden said dryly.

“I thought it would be fitting.” Another voice said, like the first, but clearer, and once again in her native tongue from Unova.

Jaden looked around for the source of the noise, but saw no-one. “Hello?” She asked, a bit nervous now.

“Ah, right, sorry ‘bout that…” The voice said, and Jaden could see now that it had come from a woman standing just in front of her, that she had somehow not noticed before. “Come on in, I’ll explain what’s up.”

Jaden nodded dumbly, and followed the strange woman through the battered mansion. The woman was dressed in what looked like lab equipment, and had purple hair (That seemed to reach her roots…), tanned skin, and red eyes. The building itself was worn down, though oddly there was no sign of any habitation by Pokémon, no fungal growth, no webs, nothing. 

“This place isn’t really good for them, you see.” The woman said, as if reading her thoughts.

“But it’s safe for me?” Jaden asked, warily.

“Of course- you’re not going to stay here long, anyway.” The woman reached her seeming destination; a table in the middle of a room that looked like it used to be a dining room, and gestured for Jaden to take a seat. She complied, and the two of them sat down.

“Alright- so, Jaden. Let’s get into why you’re here…”

Jaden was shocked for about half a second, and then recovered. “Alright- Psychic or Ghost?”

The woman looked a bit puzzled. “Hm? You mean the Types, or…?”

“I mean you- are you a Psychic or a Ghost, because that’s what you’d have to be to read my mind and do all these illusions.”

The woman grinned, showing a row of clean white teeth that seemed almost too pristine to be real. “Just as I’d hoped- you’re a clever one. That’s good, I like clever.”

Jaden narrowed her eyes. “What do you want with me?” She was about 90% certain this woman was a ghost, but knew she had little choice but to hear out her offer.

“A simple exchange- I help you get out of this mess you’ve found yourself in, if you help me get out of this mansion, and get back at the one who stuck me here in the first place.”

“Who would that be?”

“You’ll find out eventually- for now let’s say they’re...someone too big for you to deal with.”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course- and why is it I’m the one you need to get you out of here?”

The ghost steepled her fingers. “Simple- you’re the first medium to stumble by here in years, and the only one desperate enough to come on in.”

“Medium? I’m a medium?” Jaden was skeptical of this, but only slightly. It would explain a great deal about how she’d been aware of things that others had been oblivious to, and seen things that weren’t always physically present.

“Of course! What did you think you were- an esper?”

“What’s that, again?” Jaden had never heard the term before.

The woman waved her hand. “A psychic- but nevermind, you’re obviously not that.” She said it in a tone almost implying it was an insult, but Jaden could hardly see how. “The point is, you can get me out of here, and I can get you what you want.”

“And what do I want?” Jaden asked, in a plain tone.

“Freedom.” The woman said. “Freedom from those who drove you to come here, freedom from those who’d seek to exploit your talents- excepting me, of course- and freedom from those who would deny you your true self.”

She contemplated this. “And what do I have to give up?”

“Nothing- all you’ll have to do is give me your help in escaping, and in finding my revenge.”

Jaden stroked her chin, thinking it over. “Alright- what happens if I say yes?”

The woman stood up and smiled. “You wake up, and you’ll improvise from there for a bit. Then, things will become obvious. Oh, and before I forget- call me Tex.”

Jaden cocked her head. “Wake up? Oh, of course-” She was cut off by a feeling of suffocation, as the dilapidated mansion seemed to fade into inky blackness around her, and she lost consciousness.


	2. The Inspector

Jaden looked up at an unfamiliar ceiling, and was almost blinded by the sheer whiteness of it. She looked down, and around, and saw that she was in a Hospital bed- probably in Cinnabar’s Pokémon center. She was in a hospital gown, which meant that someone had changed her. That was going to be awkward to explain…

The door opened, and in walked a tall, rather brawny looking woman. Sh ****

Jaden looked up at an unfamiliar ceiling, and was almost blinded by the sheer whiteness of it. She looked down, and around, and saw that she was in a Hospital bed- probably in Cinnabar’s Pokémon center. She was in a hospital gown, which meant that someone had changed her.

That was going to be awkward to explain…

The door opened, and in walked a tall, rather brawny looking woman. She had blue hair and blonde eyes, and definitely didn’t look like a Kanto native.

She smiled at Jaden. “Hello, Jaden, is it? I’m Nurse Bos- your Trainer Card said you were from Unova, and so they had me take care of you. You’ve been out cold for the past day, and there’s been an Inspector asking questions- I told him he had to hold off at least until you were awake.” She said all this in clear, unaccented Unovan- a welcome sound for Jaden, even if the words themselves were baffling.

She quickly pieced together some of what the strange woman- Tex, had said to her last night. “Right my Trainer Card- it says I’m a woman, right?”

That, hopefully, had been one of the things Tex had read in her mind.

The Nurse nodded, and smiled, seeming a bit uncertain at the same time. “It did- and I must confess I was surprised when I changed you last night- is it a mistake?”

Jaden shook her head vigorously. “It most certainly is not. I am a woman, thank you very much.”

The blonde woman looked relieved. “Oh good, I was very worried someone had mixed up your trainer card- or even worse, that it was out of date!”

Jaden couldn’t quite understand what she meant by that, but it sounded like she understood who and what Jaden was, at least. “Right- so, my Trainer Card, could I see it?”

“Of course- I sat it right on your nightstand for you.”

Sure enough, to Jaden’s right there was a small nightstand, on which there was a small, plastic card. She picked it up, and saw that it contained the following information; Jaden Geist, Born in Virbank, Unova, 20 Years ago, No Badges, No Money. This had to be Tex’s work- the apparition had conjured this somehow, and it seemed to be a perfect forgery.

“Oh, and before I forget, we have your Pokémon all healed!” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a purple Pokéball with an “M” on it. “Your Gastly, Tex is all healed now!”

Jaden did her best to hide the shock- this was a lot to take in, but luckily bluffing and improvisation were Jaden’s greatest (Well, _only_ , but who's counting) skills. “Right, thank you!” She said, trying to sound relieved. “I was worried about her.” She took the Ball from Nurse Bos, and sat it on the nightstand next to her.

Now was not the time to let that ghost out to play.

“Well, it looks like your all better then! Your clothes and other belongings are on that little bench over there-” she said, gesturing to the small plastic bench in the side of the room. “I’ll give you twenty minutes to get dressed before you speak to the Inspector, alright?”

Jaden nodded with a forced smile, desperately thinking of what to say to the man.

“Great! I’ll go let him know!” Bos walked out of the room, her high heels scraping across the carpet.

Jaden leapt out of bed, and quickly through her clothes back on- one pair of black denim jeans, a green cotton shirt with an image of a Tyranitar on it, and a black leather jacket.She was putting on her socks and boots when the Pokéball opened, and a Gastly sprung out.

“Doing well- just as I’d hoped.” Tex said, her voice reverberating in Jaden’s head.

“Don’t sell yourself short, phantom- you’ve been a big help so far.” Jaden said, smirking.

The ghost hovered closer. “I can’t tell if that was an actual compliment or a disguised insult, but I’ll deal with that later - right now, I want you to understand what the plan is.”

“Alright,” Jaden said, only half paying attention. “Let’s hear this.”

“It’s simple- you become the Champion.”

Jaden chuckled. “Sounds simple enough.”

“It is.” Tex said, grinning mirthlessly.

“‘Kay- what do I get out of it?”

“Again, simple- you don’t have to explain what you’re doing here to the cops, and they never contact anyone in Unova, let alone your parents…”

Jaden turned to her sharply, and narrowed her eyes. “How much do you know, exactly?”

Tex laughed. “Enough.”

“Fine,” the woman in black said, finishing her bootlaces. “I’ll deal with your crypticness later. For now, let’s deal with this inspector.” She picked up the Master Ball. “Tex- return!”

It shot out a beam of red light that recalled Tex without protest. Jaden had a feeling the ghost could escape if she wished, but it was obvious there was more to her plan.

She walked out of the room and into the atrium of the building, and saw a pair of police officers. They nodded at her. “Ma’am, we’ll need you to come with us.”

Jaden scowled. “Fine.” She went without protest.

They headed out the Pokémon Center and through the city, giving Jaden a good look at the city in daylight; it was definitely very new- actually calling it a city seemed a bit of a stretch, as the tallest building was the two story Center they’d just walked out of, and all the buildings had a prefabricated look to them. The volcano at the center of the island loomed in the distance, and Jaden could see that it had erupted maybe a few years ago.

That explained why they felt comfortable rebuilding (as the volcano was not likely to erupt again for some time), she supposed, but that didn’t explain how they did it so fast.

As if in answer, they passed by what Jaden assumed was a construction site- she assumed, because she’d never seen construction work done with Psychic Pokémon before.

A mass of Abra, Kadabra, and Alakazam teleported around the land, flattened by Geodudes and Machops, and conjured up bits of building rapidly, completely work in seconds that would take ordinary construction workers months, if not years.

The officers continued to lead her silently, and they eventually reached their apparent destination. It was wider than the other buildings, but only one story tall. She realized, looking back, that all the buildings looked nigh-identical, save for the Center, which was not only different in construction, but obviously older.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the stoic officers ushering her inside, again wordlessly. She found herself in a spartan looking atrium, with some basic, plastic chairs, painfully bright lights, a desk manned by a very bored looking woman, and some ferns that were obviously a token attempt to give some color to the dreary place.

The officers went over to the woman, and spoke too quietly for Jaden to understand, as she just stood there awkwardly.

“Come over here.” The woman said, coldly and quickly, and Jaden walked over. “Are you Jaden Geist?”

“Yes, I am.” she said, a bit unsure where that surname had come from, but not about to question it.

“This says you are a woman- is this true?” The woman looked up at her, appearing quite skeptical.

“Yes, I am.” Jaden said, with obvious irritation.

“Are you sure?” The woman said, still looking doubtful.

This was getting ridiculous- _this_ is why she left Unova in the first place! “Yes, I’m absolutely certain.”

The woman let out a sigh. “Fine. You’re to go into the third room on the left.” She gestured to a corridor behind her and to her left.

Jaden nodded, and followed the instructions. She walked up to the door and saw the following sign on it; “P. Avernus, Chief Inspector.”

Unsure of what to make of the very Altomaran sounding name, she walked inside, and saw the inspector from the previous night was inside, at his desk, and looking up at her coldly. His eyes were a light blue, and his hair was a black quickly turning to grey.

“Sit.” He said, in accented Unovan, gesturing at the chair in front of him.

She did as was asked, and waited for him to start talking.

After about a minute’s silence, the man spoke. “What were you doing on the docks last night?”

“Exploring.” Jaden said, figuring it was close enough to the truth. “I was curious about the island.”

“And why would you be curious?” The Inspector asked, sounding very suspicious. “What’s so interesting about this island?”

“Well,” Jaden said. “I was interested in how it had rebuilt so quickly- it wasn’t that long ago a volcanic eruption destroyed the old city, and I was rather amazed to see a new one constructed so fast.”

The Inspector raised an eyebrow. “Why would you find that surprising- did you not know that when you came here?”

Jaden shook her head. “Oh, I did- it’s just a big difference between hearing about something and seeing it yourself, is all.”

Avernus stroked his chin. “I see- and why are you on the island, then? Surely not just to appreciate its architecture?”

“Well, not only that, certainly. I’ve come to the Kanto region to challenge the League.”

The Inspector shot up at that, and put his hands to his armrests, looking taken aback. “Really? That’s why you’re here?”

He raised a hand, as if to preemptively silence her. “I’d have to ask you a few more questions, then. First off- where did you get this-” he held up a broken Pokédex, the same one Jaden brought with her. She must have dropped it when his Ninetales was chasing her. “It’s one of Prof. Juniper’s models, it says. Which Juniper is that?” He asked, not letting her see it,

“Cedric Juniper.” Jaden said calmly, knowing full well who it belonged to. “It’s Professor Cedric Juniper’s model.”

The Inspector nodded, and sat the broken Pokédex down. “Fine- then, might I ask, why did you run from me at the docks, if you weren’t breaking the law?”

Jaden steepled her fingers. “I ran because I’m used to having to run from cops. They’re different in Unova- especially where I’m from.”

The Inspector scowled at first, then scoffed. “And where in Unova would that be?”

“South of Aspertia- way south, actually.” It was West Town, but it was doubtful Avernus had heard of it.

“South of Aspertia? Is that even in Unova?” He was incredulous, and bent over his desk to lean in closer to Jaden.

“Of course- the other Unovans just like to pretend it isn’t.” That was true enough- although she got the feeling the Inspector assumed it was because of crime or some other problem, rather than the truth- it was too rural to be worth noting, and hosted no Gyms.

Avernus nodded, and contemplated. “Fine- let me just ask you one more thing; what happened last night?”

Jaden titled her head. “What happened?” She realized what he was referring to- the part where she ran into the illusory mansion. She had no recollection, and obviously it looked different to him. “You tell me- it’s mostly a blur after you started chasing me. I passed out, I presume?”

Avernus narrowed his eyes at her. “You did- and quite anomalously, at that. Do you have a history of narcolepsy, or any other similar condition?”

She shook her head. “Not that I know of- I’m not even sure why I passed out.”

“Well, you were awfully close to...never mind.” He dismissed the thought with a wave. “It’s obvious you're not with the Violent Groups that have been found in Cinnabar.

“Violent Groups?” This sounded like gangs- but not like the ones she remembered back home- there they were almost a local fixture. This guy was talking about something that sounded more like a boogeyman.

“It’s not important that you know.” He stood up, and walked over to the door. “I apologize for taking up your time, and wish you luck on your Pokémon journey.” He opened the door for her, and gestured into the hallway.

She smiled politely at him, and he returned the gesture. She strode out of the room, and out of the building without any problems.

She grinned, pleased with herself for having managed to evade trouble, until she realized a problem; she had no money, no extra clothes, no Pokéballs, no Pokémon at all besides Tex (Who was a problem in her own right) and no plan of action. The last was nothing new on its own, but the first four could prove problematic in their own right.

****  
  



	3. The Old Man

Jaden headed down the street, avoiding the odd passer-by and headed into a back alley to avoid too much attention. She pulled out Tex’s ball, and released the ghost.

“What do you need, Boss?” Tex said, grinning as before.

“Boss? I’m the boss now?”

The Gastly...shrugged, Jaden guessed, an impressive feat without any shoulders. “Why not? I’m only here to steer you along- oh and fight your battles for you, of course.”

“Right,” she said, ignoring the comment. “Fine, whatever. Do you have any idea how I can get money, or clothes, or, well, anything I need to survive?”

The ghost pondered this for a bit, and then said; “No, I don’t.”

“Ugh,” Jaden said, smacking her own forehead. “If you had a face I’d slap you!”

“Hey, you’re the trainer here.”

“Yeah, I’m a regular freaking expert!” She paused, and calmed down. “Look- did you live here, in life?”

“What makes you think I lived at all? Maybe I’ve always been a Gastly…”

“OF course- that’s why you first appeared to me as a human woman, at the sight of the deaths of a number of people, trying to obfuscate the fact that you were dead, and mentioning “unfinished business.” Can’t see how I’d assume you were a ghost with all that evidence!”

Tex sighed. “Fine- look, I didn’t live here long, is my point, and I haven’t been out in almost a decade now.”

“Whatever- what moves do you know?” That was a start- if she could win some battles she might be able to earn some cash.

“Shadow Ball, Hypnosis, and Lick.” Tex said.

“Lick? Really? What good’s that do us?”

“Hey- do you want to find out?” the ghost shot back, almost suggestively.

“No thanks,” Jaden said, “You’re not my type.”

“Aw. And here I thought you liked girls.”

“Oh, I do- it’s just that you’re a fair bit older than me.”

“I’m thirty- I’m not an old lady.”

“Fine, my point is just that I’m not interested, okay?” She let out a deep sigh. “Let’s just find a fight, okay?”

Tex nodded, and Jaden recalled her. They strode around the city for a bit, and Jaden kept her eyes peeled for a gym, or any trainers that looked to be in her league. With no such luck, she moped around the beach, looking at the water. She had been there, almost transfixed by some strange shape in the water when, suddenly.

“Help, please someone help!” An elderly voice cried out. Jaden shot up, and saw that it belonged to a very old looking man in a nice suit, with khakis, a red shirt, and a matching white vest and hat. He had a thick white moustache, and wore a snazzy pair of shades.

She ran over to him, and saw that he was clutching his chest in pain. “I’m here- what do you need!”

“Not me,” He said, almost in irritation. “My Pokémon, my Vulpix! It’s been stolen!”

Jaden cocked her head. “Stolen? By whom, when?”

The man looked up at her, pained. “Not too clear- I’m having some chest pains, as you can see. All I remember is they were half-dressed, with these ridiculous bits of headgear, and they said they were part of “Team Snazzier” or “Snagler” or something similar.

“Snagem.” Jaden said, realizing who he was talking about. They were a gang of criminals from Orre who’d gained a reputation for stealing a lot of Pokémon from high profile trainers, hence the name.

“Right, Team Snafu.” The old guy said. “Look, I’m gonna go to the Pokémon Center and get help from some friends- can you make sure those crooks don’t get away?”

“Why me?” She was unsure of why this old man would put any faith in her.

He pointed his finger at the ball on her belt. “Anyone with a Master Ball’s a high profile trainer- unless of course, you stole it?”

She shook her head quickly. “No- and I’ll go save your Vulpix.”

The man grinned. “Thank you kindly, young lady.” He shuffled off, grunting in pain.

Unsure of where to look, Jaden ran off in the general direction the old man had been running in, and could smell the faint scent of smoke. She looked around, and saw recent looking scorch marks on the walls of the alley she had entered. Listening carefully, she heard the cries of a Vulpix in pain just ahead, and the sound of some men grunting deeply.

Jaden ran down the alley, and found indeed, two Snagem grunts struggling to hold onto the Vulpix. Without making too much sound, she let loose Tex, and motioned for her to float behind her.

“Hey!” Jaden said, placing her arms behind her back. “What’re you two doing?”

Startled, the two men turned around at her, and lost their grip on the Vulpix, which ran over to Jaden and hid behind her legs. She reached down to pet the little fox, and it cooed appreciatively.

“Hey, chief, that ain’t your Vulpix!” One of them said.

“Yeah, that’s ours!”

“Oh?” Jaden said cooly. “Then why are they out of your Pokéball?”

The first one snorted. “It’s being difficult, you hear? It needs a bit of disciplining.”

Jaden narrowed her eyes at him. “I don’t think they’re the one who needs to be disciplined.” She gestured for Tex to reveal herself, and the two man blanched at the sight.

“Is that a...a ghost?” The second one said, shaking.

“Don’t...don’t worry, man.” The first one said, struggling to maintain his calm. “It’s just a Gastly, see? My cousin’s got one.”

The other man turned to face him. “You mean that creepy dame from Hoenn? Yeah, that doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence, ‘kay?”

Jaden smirked. This was too easy. “Just don’t make me angry, and she won’t hurt you, understand?”

The two men scowled at her. “She? It’s a freakin’ Pokémon, not a friend!”

“Yeah,” the other one said, having apparently forgotten his fear. “Pokémon ain’t people, so don’t go treatin’ em like they are!”

“You know,” Tex said, very calmly. “I take offense to that.”

The two men looked about ready to soil themselves. “It...it talks?”

“Yes, I do.” Tex said, her eyes having become a dark shade of crimson. “And I can make sure you two never talk again.”

The two of them looked about ready to have simultaneous heart attacks, when one reached behind his belt and pulled out a Pokéball. “Alright, let’s just deal with it and scram, ‘kay?”

“But what about the Vulpix-”

“Forget the Vulpix- we’ve gotta run!” He deployed his Pokéball, and the other followed suit.

They had a Zubat and a Timburr, respectively. Jaden noted the former was found essentially everywhere in this region, while the latter was one she knew was rarely spotted outside her home region.

The two men started yelling commands, and Jaden was prepared to do the same when Tex said, telepathically. “Don’t- I’ve got this!” And indeed, she did- in short order the two Pokémon had been felled by her Shadow Balls (The Zubat lasted a little longer, thanks to its evasiveness, but the Timburr was taken out very easily.)

The two goons recalled their Pokémon, and started to run off when they were cut off-by a very angry looking Arcanine, with the old man standing behind it, looking rather cross.

“Well, I take it you two are the fools who stole my Vulpix?” He said, no hint of the previous jolly tone he’d had.

The two men were silent, and though Jaden couldn’t see their faces, they were obviously in terror.

“I see- you there,” He said, pointing at Jaden. “Have you got my friend back?”

Jaden nodded, and saw the little Vulpix scurry over to the old man and jump up on his leg, yelping appreciatively. “Very good.” He pulled out a Pokéball and recalled the Vulpix.

“Excuse me.” A voice from behind Jaden said- she saw that it was a pair of Policemen, though not the ones she’d seen earlier. They

passed by her and approached the two Snagem goons, and cuffed them. “Alright, you two come with us.” They took the men without complaint, and walked off.

The old man was still there, and walked up to Jaden, his Arcanine behind him.

“Well, thank you, um- say, are you a boy, or a girl?”

Jaden rolled her eyes. “A woman, thank you.”

“Ah,” said the old man. “And, your name would be?”

“Jaden.” she said, a bit exasperated.

“Hmm..” He mumbled, and gestured for Jaden to follow. “Come with me, I’ve got a request to make of you.”

Jaden nodded and followed him, to a building near where she’d been watching the sea earlier; it looked like a much smaller version of the Gyms she’d seen back home, albeit obviously built in the same way as the other buildings here on Cinnabar.

“Come on in.” The Old Man said as he opened the door.

She went inside, and saw that it indeed resembled a Gym, with a number of spaces for battling trainers, and an interesting array of apparati arranged around the arenas, apparently for the asking of arduous questions. The man stepped in front of her, and led her to an office in the back.

“So, tell me, Jaden…”he said, as he led her into his sparse looking office, and started digging through his desk. “Have you got a Pokédex?”

“Well, I did, but it was broken.”

The man nodded. “I see.” He pulled out a narrow looking Pokédex, an unfamiliar model to Jaden. He fiddled with it a bit. “Here, it’s set for Unovan.”

She took it. “How’d you know I’m Unovan?”

He shrugged. “Lucky guess.” He dug through it some more and pulled out some dusty looking Pokéballs, and handed them to Jaden. “Oh, and you’ll need this.” He pulled out an old, brown leather messenger bag, and gave it to Jaden. “Since I doubt your pockets use Bill’s technology.”

Jaden nodded, and put the Pokéballs in her new pack. “Why are you doing this?”

“Thanks, for my Vulpix.” He then stood and faced her. “Oh, and also to make sure your new friend doesn’t get you into too much trouble.”

Her eyes widened. “Who are you talking about?”

“Tex, of course- I knew it was her as soon as I heard about you getting knocked out by the old mansion.”

“Wait, how did you know about that?”

He laughed, a good, strong belly laugh, before breaking it off with a cough. “Well, I’d better-it’s half my fault that place got blown up! And besides that, I am the Gym Leader.” He looked around. “Though the Gym has certainly seen better days…”

“Wait, you’re this city’s Gym Leader?! Why didn’t you stop those goons then?!”

“I needed help- I figured any good trainer would show themself soon enough.” He stroked his chin for a bit. “Well, I needed a good, inexperienced trainer- someone brave enough to decide to help an old man, skilled enough to win a fight without much experience, and inexperienced enough not to recognize a gym leader. This task would be pretty trivial for most older trainers, so naturally I’d expect them to screw it up!”

Jaden puzzled through what the old man had just said. “I...think I get what you're saying.”

He laughed again, more quietly than before. “That’s more than most! Look, it’s important, and I can tell you’ve got your reasons for taking on the league- just know that...what’s she calling herself?”

“Tex.” Jaden said, unsure of how this man could know so much.

“Tex, right...that makes sense…”He seemed to be remembering something unpleasant. “Look, she’s not going to be trouble deliberately, but, well, let’s say she’s got certain issues, alright?”

“Issues? With what?”

“Not what- whom.” He chuckled darkly. “Although, I’m sure she’d disagree with that.”

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on or not?” She was running out of patience.

“Not- ask Mr. Fuji, in Lavender Town, if you want real answers. For now though, I’d suggest you head to the Seafoam Islands- the leader there is new, sort of.”

“Sort of- what do you mean sort of?”

“Sorry, out of answers- I’m too used to giving the questions, ha!” He was grinning like a maniac. “Time for you to go- or you’ll miss the ferry!”

“Ferry? But I don’t have any-”

“Cash? Already put plenty in the bag- along with a wallet, toiletries, a map, and a purse.” He waved her off. “Just get out of here already!”

She shook her head. “Alright, well thanks, um…”

“Blaine- my name’s Blaine, kid.”

 


	4. The Tomboyish Mermaid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Contains Ambiguously Gay Misty.

After the encounter with the odd old man, Jaden took her new gear to the ferry, which she realized was not far to the south of the gym, and headed off to the Seafoam Islands- apparently a very recent settlement, and more of a resort than an actual town. The ferry itself wasn’t too crowded- it wasn’t tourist season yet, and the ride was brief. When they disembarked, Jaden saw that the plurality of the title was a bit misleading- there was really one Seafoam Island, but there were two large cavernous structures on either end of a fairly narrow strip of land. The buildings that made up the small resort town were all clustered around the small dock, and she could see a tiny landing strip on the northern end. All in all, the island looked rather picturesque, and Jaden could see that the local, non-tourist shops were open. She took the chance to buy herself new clothes and a change of shoes, and found that Blaine had given her a small fortune in local currency in the bag.

As she was checking out, Jaden was approached by someone.

“Hi, you’re a new face!” A perky, female voice said. Jaden turned and saw an _extremely_ pretty looking woman, with bright red hair, and vibrant green eyes, not unlike her own. She was dressed a little oddly- in a white one-piece swimsuit, and sandals, which suited the environment, but also with an (admittedly snazzy) orange jacket, made of the same material as her suit. Upon closer inspection, Jaden realized the jacket had pockets built in for Pokéballs. Now it made sense- she must be a Water-type specialist.

“Yeah, I guess I am.” Jaden said, a little unsure, as she picked up her bag. “I’m new around here- new to the region, actually. I just came in from Unova.”

The woman beamed. “Really? That’s so cool! I’m going to Unova next year- big tournament, you know?”

Jaden nodded. “I heard about that, up near Driftveil.”

“Yup- me and the other Gym Leaders are going!”

“Wait, you're a Gym Leader?” Jaden was surprised- was this the Seafoam leader Blaine had mentioned. “Are you the Gym Leader here?” That would explain Blaine’s comment- she did seem rather young to be a Gym Leader.

The woman laughed. “Oh, no- I’m Cerulean’s Gym Leader, up north, you know? This is just my favorite training spot.” She offered Jaden her hand, which Jaden rather nervously accepted, unsure of whether this woman was just being friendly or flirting with her. “Oh, and before I forget- I’m Misty, the Tomboyish Mermaid!”

She led Jaden out of the store and showed her around the Island, introducing her to a lot of other trainers (Many of whom had some very odd questions about Unova for Jaden, mostly surrounding the reputation of a particular ferris wheel Jaden herself had never visited), showing her the sights, and explaining the different gyms of Kanto to Jaden; Janine in Fuschia, someone new Misty forgot the name of in Celadon, Kiyo in Saffron (Apparently a recent return), Lt. Surge in Vermillion (A fellow Unovan), Misty herself in Cerulean, Brock in Pewter, someone else new in Viridian (Replacing an old, deposed Champion, who had himself become the region’s new Pokémon Prof.).

“Oh, and of course- Lorelei, of the Seafoam Islands! I’m her biggest fan!” Jaden could swear she had hearts in her eyes during that last part.

“Lorelei? So she’s the new Gym Leader.” Blaine had said she was new- well, he’d said she was sort of new.

“Yup- new at being a Gym Leader, but she’s been a part of the League before.”

Jaden turned white, remembering what Misty had said about Blue Oak. “Not another former Champion, is she?”

“Oh no,” Misty said, waving her hand. “Just an ex-Elite Four member, come out of early retirement.”

“Oh. That’s all.” Jaden said, feeling almost nauseous. “My first Gym battle is against an ex-Elite Four member.”

Misty looked at her reassuringly. “Don’t worry about it- they all use teams appropriate to the amount of badges the challenger has, and no more.” She looked at Jaden’s belt, and frowned when she saw the lone Pokéball. “Um, you only have your starter?”

“Well,” Jaden said, pulling out Tex’s ball. “If you want to call her that.” She let Tex out, and Misty let out a screech at the grinning Gastly. “This is Tex.”

The Gym Leader’s hair was on end. “Ah....um, hi...Tex.” She was obviously terrified.

Tex nodded, apparently holding back her ability to speak, given that Misty was so shocked at her very appearance.

“Tex isn’t too scary, don’t worry.”

“That’s...that’s good, not too scary is good, definitely.” The redhead regained some measure of composure, and straightened herself out. “Okay...so you’ve got one, very, very scary Pokémon. That’s okay- you can get more!”

“Right, I can- where can I catch Pokémon around here?” She looked around, and noted she had no Pokémon to Surf on, nor any fishing equipment. She also doubted a Water-team would be very effective against an Ice-type leader.

“We can always go to my favorite spot!” She directed Jaden’s gaze at a small cave entrance in the nearby stone formation. “Seafoam Cave!”

The three of them headed to the cave, and spent a good couple minutes walking around before bumping into a female Zubat, one that Jaden immediately decided to catch, and named “Cassie”. (“It won’t do much good against Lorelei.” Misty said. “That’s fine- I just always wanted one- they’re extremely rare back home!” “Ah...okay, that sounds fake, but okay.” Misty replied.)

There were a few others, but Jaden only had so many Pokéballs, and she wanted to save them for something valuable. No ordinary Horsea, Seel, or Shellder would do- something exceptional had to catch her eye. They spent another good hour and a half searching, and doing a bit of training. (Misty had a Seadra and a Starmie on her)

“Alright,” Misty said, “If you don’t find something you want in the next ten minutes, we should get going- it gets cold in the evening this time of year, and I don’t want to be here when that happens.” The Gym Leader was already shivering a bit, though it didn’t seem that cold to Jaden.

Jaden nodded. “Sounds fair.” They headed further from the entrance into a cave in the back, that led into an interesting looking Karst sinkhole. In the middle of it was a deep looking pool, that Jaden noted had some large Pokémon swimming in it.

“Dewgong!” Misty said, beaming again. “Don’t worry- they’re harmless, perfectly cuddly!”

“I believe you, don’t worry- I’m just not too keen on falling in, is all.” Jaden looked around, to see if anything else of note was back here. Just when she thought it was time to give up, she saw an odd bit of yellow in the back of the cave. At first dismissing it as another Psyduck, a closer look revealed it was much...spikier.

Misty gasped and squealed. “It’s a Pichu! It’s so cute- wait, what’s it doing here?”

“An excellent question,” Jaden said, pulling out Tex’s Ball and letting her loose. “Let’s see if I can catch them and find out.”

Misty looked at her. “How would catching it help?”

“Well, if they’re here they have to be able to swim, right? If not, someone brought them, and we’ll know which when I try to catch them.”

Misty nodded. “That makes sense.”

Jaden instructed Tex to head over to the little Pichu, and to use Hypnosis on them. Tex’s smirk indicated how seriously she took the challenge the rodent presented, and she seemed to fly casually over to them, if such a thing was possible. To Tex’s surprise though, the little fellow had a powerful Thundershock that stunned Tex momentarily, before she was able to regain her focus.

The Gastly deftly dodged the Pichu’s Thundershocks before getting close enough to Hypnotise them, and knocked them out cold, leading them to fall safely into the water below.

Well, safely was relative, before Jaden realized Misty’s comment about the safety of the Dewgong was relative to humans, but a small helpless Pichu must have looked like easy prey to them. They started circling and nipping at the poor thing, missing, but clearly not far from biting their head off.

“No!” Jaden cried out, as she recalled Tex. “Cassie, I choose you!” She set the Zubat loose, and immediately instructed her to swoop down and pluck that Pichu from the clutches of the Dewgongs before the mouse was consumed. The bat complied, and, despite her injuries, she evaded the snapping Dewgongs, and plucked the Pichu out of the water, and brought them up to Jaden.

“Is it gonna be okay?” Misty asked, clearly concerned.

“I’m not sure- I’m a Trainer, not a Nurse.” Jaden pulled out one of her Pokéballs, and used it on the Pichu. It succeeded in capturing him (The readout on the Ball said as such), and Jaden concluded this was probably a recent release.

“What makes you say that?” Misty asked, as they raced out of the cave, Cassie tailing behind.

“Simple,” Jaden said, pulling out Cassie’s ball and recalling her. “This Pokémon isn’t native, far too young to have emigrated on its own, and we saw no sign of adult Pika- or Raichu around, meaning this Pichu is alone.

“Poor thing.” Misty said, clearly distraught at the poor creature’s predicament. She looked at Jaden and smiled lightly. “At least he’s got a home now, right?”

Jaden smiled. “I hope I can make it a good one.” She didn’t know why, but looking at Misty like that gave her an odd feeling in her gut, and she wasn’t sure if it was good or bad.

“I’m sure you can!” Misty said, patting her on the shoulder. They were nearing the Pokémon Center. “Alright, I’ve got to check in at my hotel- I’ll see you in the morning, so I can introduce you to Lorelei, okay?”

“Sure, thanks- I’ll see you then.” Jaden mumbled, still a little off from her odd feeling earlier. She headed into the center, and told the Nurse there, Gladys, what had transpired.

“Ugh, another one!” The Nurse said as she placed the Balls on the healing machine. “Another poor Pokémon abandoned- probably by some stupid tourist trying to “Release them into their Natural Habitat”- bah!”

“I take it that happens often?” Jaden said, a bit concerned for the Pichu.

“Too often- glad you came along, this poor thing would’ve been Dewgong chow if you’d never showed. Oh, and good on you for catching a Zubat- trust me, it’ll pay off.”

She smiled. “Thanks- I always wanted one. They’re really rare where I’m from.”

Gladys laughed. “Rare? Where you from- the moon?”

Jaden shook her head. “Unova.”

“Ah,” the Nurse said, “Funny- cause I’m used to Unovan tourists complaining about the little things being everywhere.” She removed the Pokéballs from the machine, and handed them to Jaden. “Here, they should all be healed now- and so you know, there’s rooms on the second floor, to the right of the Trade Center.”

“Thank you.” Jaden said as she walked away. She headed up the stairs and inspected the readouts on the Pokémon she’d just caught- Cassie, a Zubat that knew Supersonic and Leech Life (Nothing useful there…) and...she decided on Thanar for the Pichu; Thanar, a Pichu that knew Thundershock, Thunder Wave, and Tail Whip. Not a terrible move set, but not much. They’d need to catch up to Tex, and soon, if they were to challenge Lorelei.

Following the Nurse’s instructions, Jaden headed into a room marked “Unoccupied” near the Trade Center, and once inside switched the sign to the “Occupied” position. The room was fairly spartan, but it had a bed with an actual mattress, a small TV, and a nice little window. She sat down her bag and undid her boots and tossed her jacket on the floor. The room was thankfully equipped with its own, small bathroom.

“Alright guys, it’s time we huddled up.” She said as she let out her three Pokémon. Tex looked around, inspecting the room, Cassie flew around the ceiling, sniffing at odd things, and little Thanar ran up to Jaden and started nuzzling her.

“Aww, you’re a cuddler aren’t you?” The little fellow was clearly happy to see her. “Alright, Tex, could you translate for us?”

Tex floated down. “I can try…” She made some odd, mouse like squeaks to Thanar, and Jaden explained that she wanted her to ask Thanar where he’d come from. “He says...oh, this is interesting.”

“What?” Jaden said, finding this remark a little ominous.

“Well, he says he was stolen from a Daycare Center, and his parents- Spark-Spark and...Blobby.”

“Blobby?” That was an odd name for a member of the Pikachu line.

“He says his mom’s a Ditto, apparently.”

“Oh.”

“Anyway, they had just finished weaning him- don’t ask how it works- before some odd men sneaked onto the farm at night- men who were wearing funny things on the back of their heads.”

“Snagem!” Jaden declared. “What did they do then?”

“Well, apparently they dragged Thanar to this scary place down the road from his Daycare- at least, that’s what it sounds like. A “Pink Place.”- I think he means Fuschia.”

“Fuchsia? What?”

“Fuschia City- it’s to the north of here.”

“What would Snagem be doing there?”

“He doesn’t know, and neither do I- the point is, he just knows he was brought there, and then...then this scary man with yellow and blue hair, he says, yelled at the two men about something, and they took him on a boat down here and left him in the cold, dark, scary cave, where scary flying things and scary swimming things tried to eat him, and then a nice person with green eyes showed up and saved him. The end.”

“Wonderful,” Jaden said, half-serious, as she scooped up Thanar and began stroking him. He squeaked in delight as she did so. “Poor little guy…” She looked up at Tex. “I wonder what Snagem would want with a Pichu, though- usually they steal more rare Pokémon.”

“Eh, you should probably just sleep on it. We’ll know more if we bump into Snagem again.”

Jaden nodded, and recalled Cassie (Who by this point was rapidly flying in a loop around the room, making her recall a little difficult) and Thanar. She was about to recall Tex, before something came to her. “Tex, did Snagem have anything to do with your death?”

“No,” Tex said, “Not that I know of- actually, I’m not sure how much I remember.”

“Oh? What do you remember?”

“Who killed me, and why.”

Jaden frowned. “Mind telling me?”

“Yes- and it’s gonna stay that way if you keep asking. Trust me kid, sometimes you just gotta let sleeping dogs lie.”

“Fine.” Jaden said, as she recalled Tex. She pondered this for a bit, before deciding to turn in. She brushed her hair, showered, and shaved, then went to bed. The whole night she was wracked with uncertainty, and Tex’s last comment left her wondering how much the ghost was hiding from her.

 


End file.
